Target
by Bittersweet Escape
Summary: Bella's parents were murdered when she was a child at the hands of a Vampire. Nothing will stand in her way as she searches for her Target. AU *Entry for the Anything Goes Contest. Winner of Badass Bella Judges Pick LovelyBrutal."


Hi, me again!

So this was my second entry for the Anything Goes contest, and it won the Badass Bella award picked by the judge LovelyBrutal. So a HUGE thanks to you, LovelyBrutal! Honoured that you liked it, and I'm loving that my Bella is a badass.

Again, thank you to everyone over at Anything Goes. Please go and check out all of the amazing entries.

And thanks to YellowGlue for the gorgeous Banner!

Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. That belongs to Stephanie Meyer. But Badass Bella is my bitch.**

* * *

 **Target**

 _Hit the target. Hit the target. Hit the target._

I miss.

 _Shit._

"You're not focusing. Do it again."

I take a deep breath, rolling my shoulders. Raising the bow, I pull the arrow back and hold it, letting the power seep through my fingers. It snaps by my head with a _whoosh_ , striking the board just an inch off the small red dot in the centre. Again.

"Damn it," I hiss.

"Try again." Carlisle orders.

"We've been at this for five hours. I need to rest." I sigh, dropping the bow and bag of arrows to the ground.

"Evil never rests, Bella."

"God, could you stop for like, five minutes and give me a break?" I crack my neck. "I work my ass off every day at this."

"For retribution. For justice." He interrupts me, stepping away from the tree with his arms folded.

"Right," I agree. "But I'm burnt out. I'm exhausted."

We've been at this training shindig since I was fifteen. My aunt didn't even know until a few months ago, and the only reason she accepted it is because I'm eighteen and legal. Doesn't mean she likes it, though.

Why would she want to watch the only family she has put themself in harms way intentionally?

I have no choice though.

When Carlisle clued me in on what goes on in the darkness of our sleepy little town, what had really happened to my mother and father, I had no choice. I was in.

Now though, now I'm just tired.

"Vampires don't rest, Bella. They hunt, feed. They _kill_." He emphasizes, giving me the same old speech he's been giving for the past three years.

"I get it, okay? But this is non negotiable." I tell him, crossing my arms. "My grades went to shit because of all of this. I'm lucky I'm even graduating in two months."

Carlisle nods to himself, bypassing what I've said altogether.

"Fine." I huff, holding up my hands. "But tonight? Tonight I'm going home. I'm going to have dinner with Alice and a nice, long soak in a tub of ice."

That cracks a smile out of him. "Okay, but be here straight after school tomorrow."

"Training or hunting?" I ask, pulling on my hoodie.

"Hunting."

I nod, and no more is said as I trudge through the trees and away from the old shack.

. . . .

It's late when I get back. I open the door quietly, treading lightly on my toes through the hallway to the kitchen. My shoulders drop when I see Alice sat at the kitchen table, back straight and arms folded.

"Dinner was hours ago," She murmurs, her back to me.

"Smells great." I say softly, kissing her on the cheek before heading for the microwave.

"Bella, this can't keep happening."

I pull the warm slice of lasagna out and sit down across from her. She gets up almost immediately, pulling the leftover salad from the refrigerator and places it in front of me.

"I'm sorry." I sigh. "Carlisle's just been working me hard lately."

"I dont like this." She chastises. "He's got you working so hard."

"Thats the way it has to be." I shrug, digging into my plate.

"No, it doesn't." She closes her eyes and rubs her temples. "Your mom would've kill me if she knew I was letting you do this."

I instantly feel like shit.

Alice was barely twenty when I was placed in her custody, but she'd fought like hell to make sure I didn't go into the foster system. As the only family member left, we were closer than most aunties and nieces. She knew my every secret and I knew hers. She was more like a big sister to me, but when needed, she could turn on the motherly act.

If she hadn't seen the bloody aftermath of my mom and dads death, she probably would have said what everyone in town said. A robbery gone wrong.

I knew better and now, so did she.

I try to change the subject. "No Jasper tonight?"

"He left an hour ago."

Jasper is her on again off again boyfriend. They met in college, but from what Alice tells me he's not the type to commit.

I think it's Alice who isnt ready.

He comes over every now and again to fix things around the house. He'll have dinner with us and watch a movie before heading home. Then he comes back when I go to my room. I know because I see him sneaking in as I'm slipping out my bedroom window for a hunt.

I drop my fork to the plate, full and satisfied, but aching. "Thanks Ali. I'm gonna go run a bath."

"I mean it, Bumblebee." She places her chin in her hand and looks up at me imploringly. "We're going to talk more about this tomorrow."

"Okay." I nod and shuffle out the room.

True to what I told Carlisle my bath is ice cold, just the way I like it. I lower my bruised body into the frigid water, taking deep breaths as I go before finally settling.

This is where Alice would definitely pull the plug on my training with Carlisle. If she saw the bruises on my thighs and knees, the blackish purple beneath my ribs, or the fingerprints on my upper arms from when that one bloodsucker got a good grip on me last week.

But like my mentor sais; For Justice, it's worth it.

. . .

"Did you see the new guy today? Oh em gee, he's so hot." Kate is asking beside me whilst Rosalie rolls her eyes.

"He's not the new guy anymore." She shrugs, picking at her nails. "He's been here like, over a month now. He's okay, I guess."

"Whatever. Just because you're dating Emmett big balls McCarty doesn't mean you dont have eyes." Kate huffs. "This guy is so cute."

I slam my locker closed, rubbing my tired eyes. I manage to yawn out a "Oh yeah?" on our way to first period English.

"Why are you so tired, anyway?" Rose asks, falling into step beside me.

"Late night," I mutter. More like late _nights_.

"He has these bright green eyes and he's tall and just so pretty..." Kate rambles on. I zone out.

I slump into my seat, watching as Mr Banner hurriedly sets up his lesson plan. Rose sits in front of me and Kate sits to her left. My head falls to the desk as I hear the chair behind me drag out. Kate's gasp is audible, and if my eyes weren't closed I'd roll them.

"Thats him!" She whispers.

"Attention to the front, please." Mr Banner calls and I sit up straight, taking in a deep breath.

Sweet, sickeningly so, the scent hits me like a ton of bricks and my spine stiffens. If it weren't for the twenty or so students surrounding me I'd have my silver stake pulled from my bag and pierced through his chest.

I spin in my seat and my eyes lock onto his green ones, staring right back at me. It makes no sense. I've never seen one with human colored eyes. They're always bright red, or a hungry black when they've not fed. But this guy looks...normal. If it weren't for the smell I wouldn't have known.

Too bad he reeks of the sweetest kind of candy. He stinks of death.

He smirks at me and somehow the breath is knocked for my chest. It's eerily familiar, yet not. I glare at him and he pouts his lips out in a kiss before leaning forward. I lean back so fast my back hits the desk and Rosalie's chair gets bumped.

"Dude, what the hell?" She whispers.

I don't turn, my eyes still on him.

He moves his eyes to Kate. "Hey."

She turns slowly, wide eyed. He passes her a note, his leather jacket stretching to reveal a pale, muscular forearm. My eyes linger on the spot as he pulls back.

"Yeah, sure." Kate smiles and I snap my eyes to her. She winks at me and turns back to face the front of the class. I follow suit, my mind racing as the boy behind me laughs under his breath.

. . .

"Where's Kate?" I pant, catching up to Rose.

She pulls her face away from Emmett's to mutter. "I don't know."

"Hey Bella." Emmett waves before pushing my friend up against her locker as he attempts to eat her face.

When English class had ended I was vaguely aware of being stood up beside Rosalie and Kate outside of class. The next thing I remember I was sitting in the cafeteria. That's when his words came back to me.

 _"Kate is going to come with me now. You two are going to head to your next class and say nothing more about it. Forget we've spoken."_

 _Bastard._

What _was_ that?

"I gotta go." I mutter to Rose as I pull out my phone to call Carlisle.

I'm through the large double entrance doors of Forks High School and running down the steps when he finally answers.

"I've got one." I tell him heading towards my car.

"You should have called me right away if you made a kill last night." He chastises me.

"No, I mean today. He goes to my school."

There's a beat of silence and then, "I'm not following."

"Carlisle, they can come out in sunlight. We were wrong."

. . . .

"What did he look like?" He asks me a few hours later as we're suiting up.

"Uh...Tall, I think. Pale...Um..." My mind draws a blank and I'm confused.

I remember him, I just can't seem to remember what he looks like.

"Did you get a good look at him at _all_?" Carlisle straps his axe across his back, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, I did." I nod, tucking my hunting knife down the side of my boot. "He did something to me. It was like, he told me to go away and forget we'd spoken...and I did."

This stops him. He stands stock straight and stares me down.

"I don't know." I raise my hands. "That's what happened."

"It's mind control." He informs me. When I just stand there he continues, "Some vampires can compel you to do what they want. In this instance it seems he's manged to compel you to forget him."

"But I can still remember things about him." I stress, tucking my bag of arrows over my head to lay across my back. "He had green eyes."

"Okay, thats not possible." Carlisle scoffs, slipping on his floor length leather jacket.

The guy is pushing fifty but thinks he's so cool. Wesley Snipes he is not.

"It is possible." I huff. "He has green eyes."

"If we don't see him tonight, you'll need to collect more information on him at school." Carlisle sighs, pushing open the door of his little shack, leading us out into the dark woods. "For now, we have to focus on this task."

"Got it," I nod, moving in the opposite direction of him and farther into the woods.

This forest leads around the entire rim of Forks and goes on for miles. If I hand't lived here my entire life, I'd constantly be lost. Whereas I live closer to town, Carlisle built his house from scratch just on the outskirts leading to the woods, making it easy access for us.

Reports of bear attacks over the past few weeks have been circulating through our town, but the attack is on the animal itself. Sheriff Black had come across one and then another a few meters ahead just one week ago.

No one could figure out what was happening.

Carlisle and I had a pretty good idea, which leads to tonights hunt.

It takes a few hours of silent roaming around, but I finally see something up ahead. I pull an arrow from my bag as I creep forward, heading for the target who's back is to me. It's not until I step closer that the Vampire stops, and turns to face me.

My blood runs cold.

It's the guy from school and he's holding Kate in his arms. She stares at me blankly, blood running down her neck and over her collarbone.

"Just a second, I'll be right with you." The guy holds up a hand to me then turns to Kate, wiping her neck with the sleeve of his white, long sleeved jumper. "Thanks for the snack. Now, go home and forget we've met. Put on a pretty scarf tomorrow and don't tell anyone about the marks on your neck."

"Okay," She nods, still blank and steps away from him.

I'm still standing frozen as she walks right by me without seeing me, disappearing through the trees.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long." Pale boy smiles. "We've been sitting here for hours."

"Who are you?" I glare, pulling the arrow tighter and ignoring the strain in my arms.

"Aw, now that hurts." He puts a hand up to his chest and mock frowns. "You don't remember me?"

"Should I?"

"Oh, definitely." He smirks. "You should be happy to see me."

He steps closer and I fire the arrow, but he's quick. He darts to the side and it strikes the tree beside his head.

"Nice." He nods. "But not quick enough."

"Try me again," I'm back in position, arrow in place and bow pulled tight. "I wont miss this time."

"I know you won't," He grins, pulling up his sleeve to suck Kate's blood off with his tongue. "Mmmm, she's really tasty."

"Don't." I hiss. "You stay away from her."

"A guys gotta feed." He shrugs. "Unless you're willing to let me try you out."

I snap another arrow, but it doesn't hit him. At a speed I can't fathom, he's in front of me. He pushes me back against the tree and pulls the bow from me. I land a hit to his jaw but it barely seems to faze him. He pulls me forward and slams me back against the rough bark. It shakes with the force and a grunt of pain escapes me. He traps my wrists above my head towers over me.

"Now, that wasn't polite." He tuts at me. "I was just trying to be nice."

"Fuck you." I spit out.

"Man, you've developed a dirty mouth over the years." He laughs. "It's kinda sexy."

I glance around, looking for a way out.

"Would you stop?" He sighs. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want you to relay a message for me."

I stare up at him. His blood red eyes bore into mine, the pretty green vanished. He looks almost ethereal in the moonlight. Stark white and still, like a statue.

"What do you want?" I whisper.

"I want you to tell Carlisle I said hello," He tells me. His fingers rub against my wrists and tingles shoots through my body.

It's like my skin knows that action. The touch. But I don't know him.

"Who are you?" I ask again.

"You'll find out soon enough," He smiles then inhales deeply. "God, you smell good."

His whole body presses against mine and I sag against the tree.

"If it was anyone else I'd dig in, but you..." He trails off.

His head falls to my neck and I don't know whether to sigh or scream. Something about him calms me, yet terrifies me. But his skin on mine is like electricity. Sparks and heat, like he's meant to be here, pressed up against me. My eyes close of their own accord but just as they do he lets me go and he's a few feet away.

I stumble forward and he smirks, stepping back.

"I'll see you soon." He takes another step away.

"I still don't know your name," I yell out as he turns from me, a last ditch attempt to gain _something_.

It's a few seconds before I hear his final reply. Then he's gone.

"My name is Edward. Don't forget me again, Bella."

. . . .

"Edward," I drop my weapons on the large oak table. "His name is Edward. He said to tell you hello."

Carlisle freezes, the bowl of soup he was eating is forgotten. He drops the spoon and takes the bowl to the sink. He washes it, drys it, puts the stupid thing away and stays stood at the sink with his back turned to me.

"Well?" I exclaim. "Who is he? Who's Edward?"

He takes a long deep breath. "The man who killed your parent's."

. . . .

I don't sleep. I can't.

I lay in my bed as my past takes over my vision. My mom in the hallway, eyes wide open and blood drained, her body in a tangled heap below the staircase. She was holding my favorite teddy bear clutched in her cold hands. I didn't see my dad laying dead in our little kitchen. An officer told aunt Alice he was in pieces. He hadn't seen me standing behind her hearing every word he said.

Now I have another face to add to the horror. Someone to blame. I feel sick. Rage. His hands were on me, and I _liked_ it. The same hands that murdered my mother and butchered my father.

So I sit and wait, staring out of the window and into the dark night. I watch as black changes to blue sky, sunrise to the ever present grey clouds of Forks. I get ready, I eat breakfast, ignore Alice's morning babbling. I drive to school, I check my locker, stand around with Rose while waiting for Kate to show up. All on autopilot whilst the same thought runs a loop through my mind.

 _Find him. Kill him._

Problem is, I spend the whole day on the lookout but he's not here. Not in class, not in the hallways, or in the cafeteria, and as the days pass by it seem like he's disappeared.

Vanished like he was never there to begin with.

I spend every night hunting, my eyes scanning through the dark night, searching him out. Hunting becomes easier in a way, the kill is gets quicker and quicker, and my numbers double by the end of two weeks.

But there's still no Edward.

. . .

"I was thinking, maybe we should go on vacation." Alice sais.

I keep my eyes on the TV. "I can't leave. You know that."

"What's up with you?" She asks, turning the tv off to face me. "You've been all mopey and distant."

"It's nothing." Nothing but a big fat lie.

She sighs. "You know you can come to me with anything, right? No judgement. I'm totally on your side no matter what."

I stay silent.

"Is it a boy?" She tries.

"No, Ali," I huff. "Can you just leave it alone? I'm fine, okay? Please."

"Okay." She holds her hands up in the air, eyebrows raised. "How about a movie then?"

"Sure," I nod, even though I'd rather be alone.

She's only gone a few seconds before she comes back, lugging a large box with her.

"What's that?" I lean forward.

"It's home movies." She drops the box on the table, wiping her brow on the back of her wrist. "It's strange. I was cleaning out the attic and then this box was just like, sitting in the corner on it's own. I never knew your mom had any home movies."

I'm staring at the box, full of old black tapes. I pick one up tentatively, like it might fall apart in my hand and read the title on the sticky tape.

 _#17_

I frown.

"Is this okay?" I glance up and Alice is looking at me sadly. "The movies? Are you okay to watch these? If it's too hard..."

"No," I shake my head, opting for the truth. "It'll be nice."

The first thing we see is a dark mustache, way too close too the screen.

" _That should be it now,"_ The mustache moves back to smile at the camera.

I smile too. Dad loved his seventies porn stache.

" _Move out of the way!_ " Renee laughs behind the camera, her hand appearing to shoo my wide eyed father out of the way. " _There she is. Say hi, Bella_."

I'm on the floor crawling around in puffy diaper and pink dress. I'd be the picture of perfection if my face wasn't caked in chocolate.

"Oh my god." Alice laughs, plopping down beside me.

"Man, I was such a messy kid." I murmur, smiling for the first time in weeks.

"You still are." Alice raises an eyebrow at me.

" _Where's my cutie pie?_ " Dads on all fours in front of baby me, making that mustache twitch.

I laugh at the same time as myself on screen, cute baby squeals accompanied with chubby hands clapping together.

" _Here, take this a second._ " Mom appears in front of the camera, walking towards me.

"Who's holding the camera?" Alice asks.

"I don't know. I've never seen these movies before." I shrug.

My mother lies on her back, pulling me to her chest. Dad surrounds us, blowing raspberries on my cheeks. I smile as warm laughter flows from the TV. My family, once perfect. Now it's just me and the ghost of their memory.

They roll around some more, mom screaming when I almost manage to stand up on my own. I fall after one second but she's still teary eyed. My baby blue eyes turn towards the camera and I watch as my little hands reach up with a pout.

" _Oh, I think she wants you_." Mom laughs, coming to take the camera.

The figure that steps before the lens drops my heart into my stomach. I lean forward as he gets closer to my baby self and then he's leaning down, nose to nose with me.

I want to cry.

" _Hey, cuteness_." He smiles at me, and my hands reach up towards his face.

" _Aww, she loves you, Edward_." Mom laughs.

" _Pffft, I'm her favorite_." He grins up at the camera.

His eyes are still green, though not as vibrant, and there's color in his cheeks. He almost has a tan.

Human. He's fucking _human_.

He scoops me up into his arms as I watch helplessly, knowing I was once so close to danger. Except, he doesn't look like a threat. He looks almost normal.

" _Not better than her old dad, though_." Charlie smiles at Edward, clapping him on the shoulder.

Edward frowns playfully, pulling me closer to him. I watch as I fall asleep in his arms with my little face on his chest and his arms holding me gently, my father smiling down on us.

"I'm gonna head to bed." I manage to choke out, stumbling to my feet.

I don't wait for her reply as I stagger away.

. . . .

When Alice goes to bed, I sneak downstairs to pour over the videos. There are twenty-two videos altogether, and Edward is in eight of them so far. On and on his face appears through the early years of my life, as I change from baby to toddler, toddler to little girl.

He's there for all of the most precious moments of my young childhood, standing next to my parents with a big smile on his face.

I lean down on my knees, crawling across the floor until I'm right in front of the screen. It's paused on Edward and I, me sat on his lap as he reads me a story. The book lays open in his hand as he reads over my shoulder. Behind him, sits my father. The look on his face, like he's proud. But he's not looking down at me. He's looking at Edward, a contented smile painting his face. I look to Edward's frozen image on the screen, my eyes squinting.

He's pale. Deathly so.

"All clicking together, yet?" A voice comes from behind me.

I don't even jump. I'm beyond scared now. I'm just tired.

I turn to face him, his relaxed form lounging on my dads old lounger. "Is this how you killed them? Infiltrated your way into my family then slaughtered my parents?"

He scoffs. "I didn't kill your parent's."

"Carlisle told me, there's no point in lying." I tell him quietly.

He leans forward, resting his arms on his knees. His eyes are green. "Don't you get it yet? Nothing Carlisle has told you is the truth."

"He's my watcher. I trust him with my life." I sit up on my knees, facing him head on as instinct takes over.

"Only a hunter has a watcher." He laughs in my face. "You're not a real hunter."

"Yes I am." I argue.

"No. No you're not. You're just a regular kid who got roped into our shit." He rubs a hand over his face roughly, his palm landing on his neck. "You'll never know how sorry I am for this."

I ignore that. Pulling up my sleeve, I show him the small scar on my wrist, shaped like a bird in flight. "This is my mark. Carlisle said-"

"You got that when you were three. Your mom was cooking spaghetti and somehow you managed to hit the pot full of boiling water. The scar just came out a funny shape. Carlisle used it to trick you."

"No, he didn't!" My voice rises, and I slap a hand over my mouth. Edward looks up for a moment, listening for movement before focusing back on me. "You're wrong."

He lifts his sleeve, showing my his wrist. "That's a hunters mark."

Involuntarily, my body moves closer until I'm hovering over his arm. A purple birthmark, shaped like the letter 'H' sits in the center.

"I was born with it, just like he was. The family curse." He tells me softly. "I trained for years, knowing it was my birthright. Started when I was ten but I didn't go out patrolling until I was sixteen. I was good. Really good. But after a few years I rebelled against it. I just wanted to be normal. Go to college and get a job, a girlfriend I could see for more than five minutes. That news didn't go down well, and things just got...stale. We barely spoke to each other."

I look up at him, but he's staring across the room, lost.

"We were out hunting, and he was caught by surprise. I jumped in, pulled the guy off of him, but then he turned on me. This vampire was huge and I was only nineteen, you know? When he pinned me down, I thought..."

"What?" I ask.

"Carlisle just left me there. He watched me get drained, and then just...turned his back on me..." He shakes his head, leaning back from me.

"He was your watcher?" I ask timidly, afraid of the answer.

But what comes next is so much worse.

"He's my father."

I blow out a breath, sinking down till my ass hits the floor. "I...I can't even...Charlie. Why were you hanging around here?"

"Charlie knew all about it. He took me in when Carlisle got overzealous with the training. He gave me a place to rest, to breathe. When I changed...he helped me."

He brushes by me until he's stood over the tv.

"He became my friend, Your mom too."

"Then why did you kill them?"

"I _didn't_ murder them." He snaps, turning to glare at me. "I would never have done that. They were my family."

"Vampires don't have family. They're monsters." Carlisles words fall from my lips without thinking.

I'm up and on my feet, with his hands gripping my upper arms. I watch his eyes change from vibrant green to bloodthirsty red right in front of me.

" _Fuck_ you." He hisses. "You know _nothing_ about me."

"You kill innocent people." I growl, wincing as he grips tighter.

"I had no choice. I've drained every animal in town."

"So leave, then." I spit at him.

"I can't. I made a promise to Charlie." Edward blanches, his face falling. He lets me go, stumbling backwards. "I gotta go."

"No, not until you explain this to me." I stomp towards him as he backs up to the front door.

"I need to hunt." He hisses at me.

I scoff. "I don't think so."

He's already walking towards the door, his shoulders tensed and his hands shaking. I race to the kitchen as the door opens, and I'm back in the hallway as he's closing it. I run as quietly as I can, chasing him out to the porch. The blade in my hands feels heavy, and I toss it in the air once before I throw it directly at the back of his head.

I blink and he's now facing me. The blade, now in his hand is thrown back at me. It misses my head by barely an inch, landing a spot in the door frame with a loud thud.

"Carlise killed your parents, not me. Aim that knife at his head instead." He says, and then he's gone.

. . . .

I wait for hours, sat on that porch staring at the spot he vanished from. I don't move, barely blink, until I see movement from the trees just before dawn. I'm on my feet and half way across the porch before I can think. The blade is still held tightly in my numb hand as I drift further into the forest, my small house now completely out of sight.

"Go to sleep, Bella." He sighs from somewhere behind me.

I spin, blade out but he catches my wrist.

"It's just me." He says.

"I know." I grunt, swinging my fisted hand at him. He blocks me.

"Really?" He scoffs at me when I try to hit him again. "Fine."

I run at him but again he dodges it, and I fall to the ground. I get up and try again but miss, my face getting more red with each failed shot. The next time I fall he reaches out a hand to help me, and I land a kick to his stomach. He stumbles back giving me the chance to get up, then I land a punch to his jaw, ignoring the pain that shoots though my hand. I raise the knife but his hands come up. One on my hand, the other wrapped around my neck.

He pushes me back and I struggle against him.

"Stop." He growls, the vampire in him showing through glowing red eyes.

"Why?" I grunt, swinging a knee up towards his groin.

He shakes his head. "I promised I'd take care of you."

"Fuck you." I snarl at him. "You lying sack of shit. I won't let you take this from me. You murdered my parent's. Carlisle wouldn't lie. I trust him. He's my watcher and he wouldn't-"

I'm cut off when he kisses me, hard and unyielding. A screech comes from the back of my throat, his scent blocking my senses. His hand drops from mine and wraps around my hair.

"Give in." He murmurs against my lips.

And for some reason, I do.

It's like all the aggression I was feeling moments before, morphs into something else. More powerful. Lust.

My arms wrap around his neck and his hard body pushes against mine. He groans when I pull at his hair, and when his lips move down my neck I sigh. My hands move over his back, down to his hips and up his chest.

His lack of heartbeat beneath my fingertips is what snaps me back to reality. I wrench back from him, stumbling until my back hits rough bark.

"Bella..." He whispers.

I shake my head. "Stay away from me."

"I'm telling the truth." He pleads.

"If you're not gone by tomorrow, I'm coming for you." I tell him, but the shake in my voice ruins any threat.

I walk back towards the house on shaky legs and thankfully, he doesn't follow.

. . . .

I go back to searching. Over and over I play the old VHS movies at night, looking for any clues. Something that will lead me to what really happened. But three weeks after I told Edward to leave, I'm still in the dark.

I dig through old drawers, the garage, the attic. Days I spend ridding the house of junk. Alice thinks I'm just getting broody over graduation, but tha'ts the furthest thing from my mind.

I just want answers.

The night before graduation, I find it in the form of an old video camera, hidden in a box of trinkets labeled "Family".

It gives me everything I need.

. . . .

 _Hit the target. Hit the target. Hit the target._

I shoot, and hit straight through the red dot.

Carlisle claps slowly behind me as I lower my arms. "Perfect. You nailed it."

"Thanks." I nod.

"We're not finished yet, though. There's still miles of-"

"I know what happened to my parents." I cut him off.

"Of course you do," He speaks the words like a question, giving away his underlying lie. "They were murdered."

"By you."

My back is still facing him, packing away the small collection of weapons I have into my rucksack. He's silent behind me the whole time I'm readying to leave.

"He's lying to you." He eventually murmurs. "You'd really brand your own son a liar?" I scoff, turning to face him. "Edward's right. You really are a prick."

"What's gotten into you?" He gapes at me. "I never thought you'd be the one to associate yourself with demonic bloodsuckers."

If it were any other situation, his expression would make me laugh.

"The truth, that what's gotten into me." I nod. "I've been watching old home movies for over a month now, and Edward is in nearly half of them. My parents trusted him and he trusted them, too. Even after he'd turned, he still managed to be around us."

"He betrayed their trust!" Carlisle yells, losing his composure.

"No, you did." I stay calm. "See, there was one final video. I don't know why the camera was recording at that particular moment, or who pressed the button. It's only a few seconds long, not enough to really show me how you did it, but I saw you."

His face goes blank, all emotion wiped away.

"You stepped over my mothers body. You walked right _over_ her and out the front door, without so much as a second glance." I hiss in a low voice. "She lay broken in the hallway, and you tread on her like a discarded fucking toy."

"It was necessary." He sais flatly. "A means to an end."

I shake my head. "You're insane."

"Maybe." He agrees. "But it's gotten me this far. Look what we've accomplished. We can achieve _so_ much more. We're ready to go out and fight."

I nod. "I am stronger because of what you taught me, there's no doubt."

"See? You understand, don't you?" He smiles proudly at me.

"I understand my purpose now, yeah." I smile, then throw the small knife hiding up my sleeve in his direction.

Once again, I get my target.

He holds one bloody ear, a yelp escaping him as the blade slices through his earlobe and hits the tree directly behind him.

"You have one day. One day to leave Forks. You pack your shit and leave by this time tomorrow, or I'll come for you." It's not lost on me that this is the second time this month I've conveyed this threat. I swing my bag over my shoulder. "It'll be your throat I cut if I find you."

He stares up at me from where he's crouched over, still holding his injured ear. He sneers at me, a mixture of astonishment and rage.

"I'm only giving you this chance because of what you've done for me. You've given me skills I never knew I could possess and I'm grateful for that." I turn my back on him, walking away. "But this is the last time we'll ever speak. If I see you again, I'll kill you."

He yells my name, along with thinly veiled threats.

I just keep walking, and when I get home and find Edward waiting for me on the porch, I'm not mad.

I'm relieved he's come back.

He smiles, and then I'm smiling.

Hunter or not, he's my family. My home. My one last link to my parent's, and I won't lose that.

Not now, not ever.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading!


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